Index
- Black haired devil
- The dark side of envy
- Hanging by a thread
- Truth comes out
- Where madness rules
- A journey into the unknown
- I think we're a pack
- The new girl wakes up
- Home is where you are
- Rope of sand
- All good things...
Chapter 1
~* Jared *~
Jared was tired. His eyelids drooped every few seconds, and he had to blink and roll his eyeballs to re-wet them and stay awake. The west wing of Statsby Hall lay before him, promising a bed, a bath, and most important of all: peace of mind.
Damn that 22 hour drive! Maybe Jared should have stopped somewhere along the way, but he hadn't wanted to waste even a second in his quest to get as far away from his family as possible. Ever since his appliance to Banes Central University had been accepted, and he had gotten a rugby scholarship, Jared hadn't been able to sit still for another second. Every further day he had spent at home he had literally loved his family into pieces, just by living with them and being what he was.
But now Jared finally was free.
He felt so relieved that he nearly fell asleep with his hands on the stirring wheel and the motor of his little Volkswagen Beetle still running.
The act of unfolding his 6'2'' frame out of the tiny driver's seat made him grunt and grumble, and when his feet finally found their way to the concrete ground he stumbled about a bit and had to lean against the side of his car to get his bearings.
Jared was a guy with broad shoulders, sinewy, powerful arms and the sunny, tanned exterior of a Californian surfer boy. He was someone who should lean against a nice BMW sports car or a muscle car, not against THAT. When People saw Jared next to the tattered old car their brain often refused to make the connection between the hunk and the nerd-chariot. In their minds there was no way Jared could have ever fit into that thing.
With a sigh Jared looked up to the baby blue sky above. He thought of the fact that it would only be a few more minutes until he would be able to collapse onto his new bed and sleep. What a relief!
Jared patted the left back pocket of his shaggy jeans where he kept the folded documents for his application, shoved his dead-tired carcass away from the car, and then scuffled toward the main entrance of Statsby Hall.
That's when it hit him. Literally.
The boomerang came out of nowhere, but that didn't ease the force of its collision with Jared's head. He didn't hear the shocked scream of the girl that had thrown it; he simply went down like a log.
He woke when he felt someone shaking his shoulders, and blinked away dozens of shiny stars. The daylight hurt in his eyes, but his head hurt even worse. "Ow! Damn," he mumbled, but his own words sounded hollow and far away. Then the world came back, crashing into his senses like a test car into a concrete wall.
"Oh gosh, are you okay? Hey, can you hear me?" a female voice asked. Jared opened his eyes again and looked up into the blanched face of a pretty brown haired girl. She looked ready to faint, but she kept shaking him bravely. "Come on, pal! Say something!"
He instantly noticed the strange accent in her voice. "Are you Australian?" he mumbled while he touched the side of his face. He felt a welt and some crusts, and when he looked at his fingertips he saw blood there. Ah, gorgeous! Not even inside his new home and already he got attacked.
"Pretty cliché, huh? Don't move, you have a concussion," she drawled, pushing his hand away from the wound. "You are lucky you're not dead. I'm lucky you're not dead," she mumbled, then she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it onto the head wound.
Jared felt his wolf raise to the unintended challenge on his dominance, and took the handkerchief off her to hold it in place by himself. The girl smelled like a human, and he had to act like one himself, but a hurt werewolf was dangerous and unpredictable. And a dominant, hurt werewolf might just try to attack anyone who tried to help him.
"I'm alive, I guess," he groaned and then slowly sat up. A small flock of students had gathered around and watched them, and that made Jared even more nervous. He didn't like being hurt and on the ground with people staring at him, so he got up even though his stomach tried to crawl up his gullet.
"Whoa, you are so not alright!" she scoffed, and tried to support him by grabbing his arm. He swallowed a growl in her direction but tensed under her fingers.
'She is a human. She doesn't mean it.' his mind chanted, trying to calm his wolf-instincts. He managed to hold still and to keep the snarl from his lips, but he couldn't relax. Not yet.
"It's just a bit of blood," he assured her, then threw a hard glance at the crowd and barked, "Move on people, nothing to see here!" Damn those sensation-hunting drama tourists!
"I'm Darla. My middle name is take-you-to-the-sick-room. Come on big boy," the girl said resolutely, pulled his arm and started dragging him towards the entrance of the student residence.
It was either ripping her apart or just submit to her insistence. Jared contemplated version one for a good 10 seconds, then hung his head and shuffled after her. He was simply too tired to stay angry for long.
The sick room was on ground level, right next to the students admissions bureau. Jared threw a longing gaze to the sign when they passed it, wishing he could just shake off that boomerang throwing hell strumpet and go in there to get assigned to his room. But Darla was unshakable in her deed to get him patched up, and she tugged at his arm demandingly when he slowed down.
"Come on mate, just a few steps more," she insisted.
Jared could have broken free easily. Hell, he could have punched a hole into the wall easily and without a scratch, but humans didn't do things like that. And heterosexual humans were into beautiful, exotic women like Darla. Jared was neither human, nor heterosexual, but this was supposed to be a new start, a new life. He didn't want to risk it all on the first day, even though he hated it already.
But then he smelled something strangely familiar. Suddenly Darla didn't have to pull him along, because Jared sped up, his nose filtering the air for that scent that wafted through the corridor.
Werewolf.
Jared felt his lips curl when he instinctively bared his teeth to the sudden impression of danger. He wanted to growl, but a wry look from Darla let him close his lips and lick them to get the strange numb feeling out of them. Was there another werewolf on campus? Was this pack territory?
Another cloud of musky fragrance hit his senses and made his fingers all tingly with excitement. A male, young and vital.
"Here we are," Darla said, sounding very relieved when she pushed open the door and pulled Jared inside.
There he was, standing right next to a big shelf full of strange flasks. Jared literally dug his heels into the linoleum floor when a piercing gaze from the other werewolf struck him. Even the need to play charade with humans wouldn't have made him step into the home of another werewolf uninvited.
He was about 5'9'', slim and lanky, with hair black as raven's feathers and stunning blue eyes like those of a Siberian Husky. His skin was pale like carved ivory, but dark circles underneath his eyes showed strain and tiredness his gaze didn't reveal.
Right now his gaze fell first on Jared's bloodied face and the handkerchief still sticking to his head wound. It then wandered down and inspected his and Darla's hands holding each other. His upper lip curled to a half snarl, but he seemed to get Jared's dilemma instantly.
"Come in, sit down," he said, and his voice crawled right into Jared's groin. Jared felt paralyzed, hypnotized, but another harsh tug from Darla made him move forward again. Realizing that he had stared Jared glimpsed around in the room. He didn't lower his gaze even though he was in the territory of another were, because it would have meant that he surrendered to his presence – something he couldn't, and wouldn't do. This was the same problem that had gotten him kicked out of his last pack, and nearly ruined his family. Dominance.
There were werewolves that would have attacked him even for that little impertinence, but this one just flicked his tongue disapprovingly, and motioned Jared over to one of the examination tables. "Sit, p l e a s e," the dark stranger emphasized with twitching lips, while his eyes followed Darla and her heroic attempts to shove Jared around like an unruly kid. Her behavior seemed to amuse him, but then Jared was pretty sure that the sight was amusing and unusual. It didn't happen that often that a full grown werewolf was bossed around by a human, and that little lady had guts.
When Jared finally sat on the table she turned around and blushed. "I hit him with a boomerang in the head. It was an accident," she said, then started to rummage through her pockets and produced a small business card. Here's my contact information, please contact my insurance for this. It was entirely my fault."
Jared watched them in silence. Okay, so he watched the face of that other werewolf like a lovestruck teen, but at least he listened to both of them. Darla sounded really sincere in her description, and since he didn't have his new contact information yet her offer was a big help. It calmed Jared a bit, but it didn't help against his headache or his exhaustion.
"Darla McIntire," the pale wolf read, and then smiled cynically. "I'll make sure everything is handled properly. Now please excuse me, I've got a hunting injury to tend to." With those words he pointed at Jared's head and shooed her towards the exit with the other hand.
Darla trotted towards it, but looked over her shoulder when she reached the door. "I'll come visit you later to apologize properly, okay?" Her eyes had a strange flicker in them, a certain starry quality Jared had seen all too often. Another girl that fell for the golden bronze hulk, he should have seen it coming.
"Okay. Thanks Darla," he said and waved with one hand, just to get her out of there. It was time for some were-talk.
When the door clicked shut behind her, Jared turned his head just far enough to look at the other were out of the corner of his eyes. Silence unfurled and crawled into every corner of the room, away from the two werewolves eyeing each other.
Finally the strange one broke the spell. "I'm a paramedic," he said, "and I know you are not seriously hurt, because if you were, that chick would be corned beef now." He hadn't moved an inch, but he started to lift one hand. When Jared growled he stopped instantly, froze, and then rolled his eyes. Dislike rolled off his body in thick, numbing waves. "Growling, really? I have to patch you up at least a little bit. Too many people have seen your bloody kisser already."
This time he didn't move until Jared sighed and nodded, but the were's face kept his unhappy, exasperated expression when he finished the gesture and tugged the handkerchief from Jared's wound.
It hurt like a bitch, but Jared didn't let his pain show. "What's your name?" he asked instead, to get his mind off the burning wound. He was more than curious now, even though the other werewolf looked thoroughly annoyed by his existence.
"Darwin." The answer was short, clipped and unhappy. "I'll clean that. It'll burn. Please hold still," he murmured, and pulled a brown glassed bottle out of the shelf next to the table.
Jared's eyes followed the new object in Darwin's hands curiously because his wolf demanded it. The horny human inside him wanted to stare at Darwin's face. "Is this your territory?" Jared asked, while Darwin drenched a wound dressing in clear liquid. The stench of disinfectant crept into his nose and tainted the wonderful aroma of werewolf, but Jared had already transferred Darwin's personal scent to memory, so he didn't mind.
"No." Again the answer was short and clipped, impatient, and unfriendly. Darwin concentrated on Jared's forehead and started cleaning the half healed cut, brows drawn together and wrinkled. "This university is on the outskirts of the Banes pack territory, but it's off limits for hunts and... diplomatic interactions." His voice sounded far away and strained, unhappy with the necessity to talk.
Of course Jared knew what 'diplomatic interactions' meant: brawls, fights, hunts and kills. It did seem logical, because like any university or college there were surely dozens of other weres passing through every year, staying, studying and leaving again. No reason to risk their camouflage. A necessary evil for every bigger city pack.
When Darwin was finished with cleaning Jared's forehead he turned around, presented his back to Jared and went over to the sink where he produced a lighter out of his pocket and set the used wound dressing on fire. Even though the gesture seemed so unimportant and natural it told Jared something very unexpected: Darwin was not a dominant werewolf.
No dominant would have ever turned their back on a strange and injured were, but submissives wouldn't think that far.
Jared wouldn't have pegged Darwin for a submissive, but now his libido went on overdrive. He scented the air again, but it was of no use – the disinfectant still killed every scent in the room, making him practically nose-blind.
Darwin's voice cut through the rutty thoughts Jared delved into, clear as glass. "If you think you can come here, get all worked up over my ass, and get what you want, you are so very wrong." His pale face held an icy glare, his lips were curled in a warning snarl. Obviously Jared was very alone with his sudden outburst of lust.
Darwin tore a slip of paper off his clipboard, held it out for Jared to take, and growled, "Here's your sick leave certificate. Now get out of my sight."
Jared didn't have a choice. If he didn't want to fuck up and anger the local pack on his first day he had to obey, but damn, it was the hardest thing he had ever done. He wanted to punch Darwin, throw him against a wall, throttle him, rip his clothes off, and fuck him. Anything to show him what dominance meant-- but he couldn't. Instead he hissed, "Like I would like to tap that ugly mug of yours," and stomped out.
The door nearly cracked when he shoved it open, and the bang it produced when Jared slammed it closed echoed through the building. Damn, that little bastard got him going good!
An hour later Jared was finally able to collapse onto his new bed and close his eyes. He was even too tired to snarl when the last picture his mind produced before fainting was Darwin's face.
~* Darwin *~
It had been a long day. Darwin flipped the light switch of the university's sick room and closed the door before locking it. A damn long day with nine hours of constant visits. The first day of university always went like this, or so he had been told. So many people moving into the building, carrying heavy loads, moving furniture, and finally, getting drunk after having finished the moving procedure, it was bound to happen. And it happened every year: broken bones, sprained ankles, hurt backs, cut fingers, the whole hoopla.
No wonder the regular doctor had taken sick leave for today.
Not that Darwin minded the extra hours; he needed every penny he could make to be able to afford living on campus. He didn't need to live in the student residency, but it beat living at home by worlds. Not having to go home every day was worth the work, the tears, and the missed sleep, because of HIM. Not his father, he liked his father, but the other male person that mattered in his life-- his Alpha.
Shuddering violently he turned away from the door and started marching down the corridor. Must not think of that man, not even for a second. Every time he thought too hard about him he couldn't sleep for hours. The insomnia had gotten worse since he had moved into Statsby Hall, but the lack of sleep still didn't trump the stuff that had happened to him when he had still lived at home.
'Don't think about that!' he cursed himself, and hastened his steps. He had to think about something else.
That new werewolf for example.
His dick twitched instantly, and started to grow again. He had had a hard time calming that damn thing down after meeting Jared. He had been in a state of constant arousal since that guy had left the sick room, and it only had lessened when he had just thought of his Alpha. His libido seemed persistent though, and not easily intimidated. That hunk had looked like a sleepy force of nature, his gaze piercing, muscles protruding even though he had seemed on the verge of total exhaustion. Darwin had literally tasted the salty tang of the hunk's pre-cum on his tongue just from looking at him. Just watching him had given him an instant boner that, luckily, had been hidden by his white doctor's coat.
Darwin still hated himself for his stupid performance that morning. He worked so hard on keeping a dominant facade, and he had managed it so well too-- only to be overthrown by a blond, stupid, arrogant, single-minded, hunky, gorgeous werewolf. That guy hadn't even done anything, he had just sat there and stared at Darwin with bleary, reddened eyes like a coked up junkie on a trip.
And his smell! Mary, mother of Christ, he had smelled like sunshine and heated granite, with a spicy, musky note of wildness. It had driven Darwin mad with lust, until... well, until he had seen that human girl behaving like his sweety, and holding his hand.
From that moment on Darwin had sworn a silent, solemn oath to hate Jared to the end of his days, because that guy was no better than all the other weres Darwin knew. Just another dominant trying to stick his dick up every hole he could find, knock up as many girls as possible, and he probably didn't even care about the feelings of his victims. Darwin knew the likes of him, knew them too well.
Yeah, Jared made his dick hard, so what? Darwin still had his best friends, Righty and Lefty.
~*~
When Darwin woke next morning, the images of his strange, disturbing dreams clung to his mind like cobwebs. Dreams of naked bodies, sweat, groans, and sighs and a feeling of fullness he had missed for a long time. They haunted him until he showered with ice cold water, and even then he had to lay a hand on his dick to get his rocks off and fit that damn thing into his cycling shorts.
Today it was gymnastics training, and a glance at his bedside clock showed that he already was late. Gymnastics club was one of the few things Darwin did just because he loved it. He would have had more time to work if he dropped that club, but it would also have killed something inside him to give it up.
The gym was located next to Statsby Hall and Darwin had already changed in his room, so he skipped the locker rooms and went directly into the hall. His gymnastics team was warming up to the left, and his friend, Harry, waved at him as soon as he saw Darwin. "Where have you been? Coach Ronson asked for you," he whispered when Darwin reached the group.
"Long night," Darwin mumbled, and sunk to the floor to join their stretching moves. Harry just grinned at him and went back to straining his back muscles.
On the right side of the hall another group of athletes were waiting for rugby tryouts, but Darwin didn't spare them a glance. The sight of jocks always made his stomach feel funny, and he despised that helpless, giddy mood. He didn't need some jock catching him salivate over their behind and beating him up later.
As a result it took him about 30 minutes to finally realize that Jared was over there and only then did Darwin look over to the group. He caught one glimpse of Jared in the same moment Jared looked over to him. Their eyes locked for two seconds, then a pile of bodies fell onto Jared and he was out of sight. Those two seconds felt like an eternity of agonizing and slowly building arousal, so intense it shook Darwin to the core. It took him all of his willpower to concentrate on the formation his team was training, and even then he fucked up, and the carefully arranged pyramid crumbled, with people falling to the ground everywhere.
The last hour of training was excruciating. His trainer yelled at him, the new team members giggled like a flock of geese every time they caught him looking over at the rugby players, and his mind drifted off every few minutes, making him clumsy and nervous. It was the hardest training he had ever experienced, and when it finally was over he scuffled to the locker rooms like a man on his way to the gallows. He was so ashamed about his bad performance that he didn't even realize that the rugby team had also ended their training and started to pile into the showers.
From one second to the next the tiled room was filled with friendly banter, laughs, and dozens of athletic, muscular, naked hunks. Their sweat flooded the hot, misty air and made Darwin feel lightheaded from the hormones and testosterone. The smell of so many males made his wolf rear its head instantly.
He couldn't take it, couldn't move for fear of getting too agitated and maybe start his change. His tailbone tingled, the skin on his back crawled with the need to change, so he bit his tongue until he tasted blood. That helped a bit.
Breathing shallowly he leaned his forehead against the cold, wet tiles of his shower stall and waited for the room to clear out, clenching his hands into fists. He even had to count to a hundred to keep himself in check.
Suddenly one scent masked every other smell, shrouding over him like a thunderstorm. With that scent came a sudden and intense feeling of peace and security. The scent of another werewolf.
"Problems?"
Jared's quiet, amused voice sounded right next to Darwin's left ear and made him jerk. With that movement came the awareness of a very warm body just inches from his back.
"Go away." Darwin snarled, simultaneously trying to keep his body from relaxing. He abhorred that feeling of helpless, happy bliss. He wanted it to stop, because it made him remember. Darwin absolutely didn't want to remember.
"Grouchy. I like that," Jared whispered and moved closer, so Darwin had to quickly move forward if he didn't want to touch the muscular, wet body behind him. It didn't help. Jared just followed him until Darwin was pressed against the tiles with Jared's body at his back, making body contact from breast to crotch. And what a crotch it was!
When the pulsing, hot column of erect flesh pressed against his ass and slid smoothly through his ass crack, it felt more like a monster the size of a forearm than anything of comprehensible form. A moan broke free from Darwin's throat, and made him beat his fist against the tiles next to his shoulder in frustration. He would have loved to hit Jared, but he couldn't. Darwin wanted to believe that common sense stopped him from doing it, but truth was that he simply couldn't-- his nature prevented it through instincts.
What he could do though was turn around.
He gave Jared the stink eye when he finally faced him. "If you lay your hands on me, I will scream like a girl," he pressed, abandoning pride for a small victory. Jared winced even though he grinned, and Darwin loved it. A few milliseconds later the hate was back.
Jared's grin widened. "Okay, no hands," he agreed, and put his palms against the wall behind Darwin. He leaned against the slightly smaller man, lowered his head even though Jared towered over Darwin, and started rubbing himself against Darwin's crotch. Their cocks moved against each other, slickening themselves with pre-cum and hot water, and it sent wonderful, electric sensations through Darwin's body.
Another moan escaped him. The wanton sound of his own voice made him want to shrink away from Jared, but there was simply not enough space. He put his hands on Jared's broad shoulders and tried to push him backwards. "Let me go!" he gasped, though his cock seemed to be perfectly happy where he was, rubbing against the bigger, darker prick in front of him.
The answer came promptly. "How about I make you come instead? Wouldn't that be much, much more fun?" Jared practically purred with glee and lust.
It was a battle of wills. Neither of them was prepared for violence, and neither of them wanted to have to use it, so they tested each other's steadfastness instead-- and Jared was winning.
"Are you stupid? I said don't touch me!" Darwin hissed, nearly failing to keep his voice down. If the other players or Darwin's team mates came in right now, they both would be in big trouble.
Another shove against his shoulders made Jared stumble for a second, but then he was back at full force.
"You said don't lay a hand you. You never said anything about touching." The hunk smiled like a hyena and intensified his movements and the sweet, seducing friction between their cocks. "Or do you wanna give up? I'd maybe agree to leave you alone for today if you said, let's see, uh, pretty please."
So Jared had recognized their stand-off-situation. Darwin cursed silently. This guy had more brains than most of the other dominant weres he had encountered so far.
"Never." Darwin's decision echoed through the misty room like an evil omen.
Jared's grin grew even more predatory. "Good," he said. And then he really started moving.
Muscles on his arms and shoulders bulged when he leaned forward even more, bending at the hips to increase the pressure of his cock against Darwin's crotch. Darwin could feel the meaty, swollen head of the giant tool rub against his ball sac, then moving further up while leaving a hot, wet trail of juice. He shivered violently under the onslaught of lust he experienced from those pretty simple, archaic sensations. It was frightening, enticing, and arousing like nothing he had ever felt before.
Absent-mindedly, he started humping back, savoring the sweet jolts it sent through his body, moaning softly against Jared's shoulder. Darwin hadn't even realized that his head had fallen forward to rest there, and now that he gave it a thought, he also hadn't meant to wrap his arms around the hunk's broad chest. He could feel the trail of golden hair tickle against his hard, pointed nipples, and he wanted to let go, to shove Jared away, but he just couldn't bring himself to stop the glorious moment.
Still, there was the matter of his psychosis. "Let go of me now," he whispered, his voice shaky with need and the self-control it took to even say the words, much less mean them.
This time Jared didn't even flinch, he just kept moving. "I'm not holding you back. No hands, remember?" he answered, sounding way too pleased with himself. A small groan of delight followed his mocking words, and he sped up, rubbing, pressing, sighing, bringing Darwin closer and closer to climax.
"I'm going now," Darwin mumbled, even though he still had his arms around Jared, and hugged him like life itself depended on his grip. "I hate you. I wish you'd never--"
Suddenly the room was filled with Darwin's drawn-out, strained, incredibly happy moan. He came like a geyser, spraying hot, sticky cum against Jared's rippled belly, shaking with the intensity of his own orgasm. It felt as if he was burning from the inside, and it made him see stars while he sunk down, his knees giving out on him.
Strong, big hands gripped his sides, pulled him up and slipped under his shoulder blades and his knees to carry him out of the shower stall and right to the towel hangers. A fluffy yellow towel was pulled from its hanger and placed on the tiled floor, and then he was put onto it. Jared's tanned, sharp and unusually cheery features appeared in Darwin's line of vision, grinning like a maniac.
"Oh gee, are you alright?" Jared asked happily.
The sound of the slap reverberated throughout the shower. Darwin instantly liked the acoustics, even though his hand hurt like a son of a bitch from the impact with Jared's face.
"Never ever do that again, you bastard." he snarled, balling his hands into fists when Jared opened his mouth to answer. "No, don't even try. Get out!" Darwin spat before Jared could say anything. He probably had just ended his existence with defying a dominant were, but right then he really didn't care.
Much to his shock Jared put a hand to his stinging cheek, smiled again, and stood up to leave the shower room. He didn't even stop to towel himself off.
Ah right, Darwin was still sitting on Jared's towel. Oh, well.
Darwin stayed where he was until he heard the door of the locker room fall shut, then he scrambled to his knees and looked down at his cock with anewed dismay. Rigid like a flag pole. Great. Now he had to jerk off just because of that last smile. Every time he remembered Jared's face his whole body throbbed with need. This was wrong, Darwin thought, filling the shower room once again with the sound of needy, hushed moans while his hand moved with intense, quick, jerking gestures over his cock. This was so wrong.
Darwin hated Jared just a little bit more that day.
~* Jared *~
The first week flew by with lightning speed. There was so much to see, so much to do and so much to remember that Jared didn't get a chance to just sit down and get his bearings. The biology classes were awesome but pretty intense, then there were orientation classes, and of course Rugby practice. He nearly had failed the tryouts because that Darwin guy had been right down the gym hall, dancing around in snugly fitting cycling shorts that left absolutely nothing to imagination. Jared's brain had short-circuited when their gazes had met, causing a major pile-up in the middle of their warm up training. Luckily the coach had taken a liking in Jared, mainly because he had proved to be an unbreakable wall when it came to tackling.
Of course, nothing came more natural to a werewolf than stopping a fleeing target. Dolphins could swim, birds could fly, werewolves could tackle. That was the way of the world.
Still, Jared hadn't been able to erase the sight of Darwin in those damn shorts out of his head. It had proven difficult to keep himself in check, and when he had seen the dark haired, lean, and athletic boy alone in the showers, he had snapped. Well, snapped in a very sating, erotic way, but it had also made Darwin hate him with heartfelt intensity. Jared's cheek still stung with phantom pain from the slap he had received from the temperamental boy.
Now the weekend was coming, and Jared had to think about what he would do with two whole days of not having to run around like a headless chicken.
He moved to sit down at the right side of the entrance steps of Statsby Hall when someone bumped into his side and sent his bag flying. Instead of scrambling after his things he snatched the culprit's collar, ready to pummel the sweet bejesus out of them and vent some of his pent-up tension.
"Oh, geez, I'm sorry, are you-- Hey Jared! It's you!" a female voice chattered away.
Darla. He couldn't hit her, because humans didn't hit their women. Well, humans didn't normally hit anyone just because of a small body collision.
"Hey Darla. Are you alright?" he sighed and let her go. Darla had been around him from day one – not only was she also a student of Biology, she also had joined the women's rugby team and even visited him at his room to check up on her 'boomerang buddy', a nickname she had bestowed on Jared on day three.
"I'm good! Sorry for the bump-in, I'm such a klutz!" she chirped, and hugged her books with a happy smile. Her brown hair curled, brushing her shoulders with every move of her head, and her eyes were honey brown. "Where are you headed on this beautiful day?"
Jared registered her beauty with detachment. He didn't care for women. His tastes went more into the direction of men. Darwin-shaped men. Darwin, especially. He was pretty sure that she was used to men swooning at her pretty face, and he suspected that his lack of swooning was what made her stalk him so much. "I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm just waiting for--"
He stopped himself from finishing that sentence. Mustn't tell his stalker whom he fancied. Stalkers didn't cope well with that kind of news.
"Waiting?" she chirped, still cheery as hell. "Who are you waiting for? Someone special?" She gestured to the side of the steps, inviting him to sit with her where he had intended to settle down before.
Jared fished for his bag and then slumped down onto the step grudgingly, trying not to show his impatience with her human habits. He even wrung out a smile, nodded and mumbled, "I'm waiting for a pal. Gonna try to hit some bars tonight." It was a white and smooth lie. In reality Jared just wanted to intercept Darwin at the entrance to their residency hall, and maybe, probably, possibly stalk him.
His words didn't discourage her at all. "That's good! I was worried, you seem to be such a loner. You could be really popular if you just tried," she said, giving him the starry eyes. Damn. Then she surprised Jared with saying, "I know at least three boys who would give their right arm for a date with you."
There was a short silence while Jared eyed her like the devil incarnate. How had she found out? He tried to remember if he had told her, but drew a blank. Finally he managed to open his mouth, but all that came out was a croaked "Wha-- what?"
Darla drew her eyebrows together. "You ARE gay, right?" she asked intrigued while mustering his face.
Jared rested his face in the palm of his left hand, inhaling deeply. He hadn't meant to behave this obviously, and it riddled him how Darla had found out-- they spent but minutes together every day, and he hadn't ogled anyone that wasn't Darwin. But it didn't matter, at least the expression he had caught in Darla's face wasn't fandom. "Yes I am," he answered finally, lifting his head to smile at her apologetically. "But I'm not looking for a relationship right now, so please don't try to set me up on a blind date."
Darla giggled, patted his shoulder and grinned. "You're safe, don't fret. But if you're interested in something fitting, try the Triumph. It's a gay bar about seven blocks from here. Loads of studs there, or so I've been told, and promise to take me there some day. I need a good drooling from time to time." She stood up, hugged her books again and shrugged happily. "Have a nice weekend, you hear me?"
Jared could do nothing but nod, dumbfounded. That girl's brain moved way too fast for his own thoughts, and before he could answer, she was gone, jogging away to catch up to a group of girls further away.
He stared at her retreating back, brows drawn together in thought, when suddenly something yellow hit his chest and dropped into his lap. It was his towel, and right next to him stood Darwin and his friend Harry, both clutching the shoulder straps of their respective bags. Jared already knew Harry, another werewolf studying at BCU, and even though they had gone through great lengths trying not to bump into each other, Jared also knew that Harry was another submissive and no danger to him in any way. Harry was a few inches smaller than Darwin, but he had broader shoulders and more definition to his muscles. His skin was rosy, his brown eyes always seemed to sparkle with mischief, and he had proven to have a bloody wicked sense of humor that managed to trigger helpless fits of laughter in his friends, and uncontrollable crying fits in his foes.
Jared furthermore knew that he was in the same gymnastics team as Darwin, and that they tended to stick together whenever they could. That was something he could understand, werewolves abhorred loneliness and therefore tended to flock together.
"You forgot your towel in the showers," Darwin snapped in his typical tone of voice, but he couldn't meet Jared's eyes. Jared could literally watch him fight a blush.
Jared got up, careful to not stare at them so they wouldn't think he wanted to threaten them. Jared could have stayed down at the ground, but he wanted to be ready to follow Darwin if he tried to flee, and he wanted to feel Darwin's eyes on his body. "Well thank you, Darwin. I was wondering where I'd left it," he chirped with a broad smile, watching Darwin's face cloud over with anger. He just loved to rattle Darwin's cage. It was easy and fun to watch.
"I'll throw it away if it happens again," Darwin snarled, starting to blush. Then he whirled around and started to stomp off, a snickering Harry following behind. And of course Jared had to follow too.
"Leaving already? Don't you want me to thank you properly?" he asked, easily keeping up with them.
Darwin pulled his shoulders up and started to stomp with every step. He was so angry that Jared expected to see smoke come from his ears any minute.
"I don't want your thanks, Jared. Go away," Darwin snarled without looking back.
"But I'm pretty good at thanking," Jared purred, catching up to Harry. He didn't try to keep his voice down though, and soon all glances were following them. Darwin finally had to stop. It was just too obvious Jared didn't intend to stop following them.
"Look, Jared. I need to get to work and I need you to stop stalking me. Go fuck some chick, I don't care, just leave me be!"
Jared nearly staggered backwards at the bubbling anger in Darwin's voice. The dark-haired boy hadn't tried to keep his voice down this time, and their audience was growing in numbers.
"What, no snide remarks this time?" Darwin barked when Jared just looked at him with a peaceful, neutral face, then whirled around again and stomped off.
When Harry wanted to follow him though, Jared grabbed his shoulder and whispered, "Where does he work?" Okay, so Jared wasn't planning on listening to Darwin, so what?
"Baneswood national park. He's a tourist guide there," Harry answered with a knowing smile. "But only for three more weekends, then the season's over." With that he deftly shrugged off Jared's hand and jogged after Darwin.
Jared watched them disappear like he had watched Darla before. Three more weeks to prepare himself. Then Darwin would be his, for good.
~* Darwin *~
The group of people stopped at one of their designated resting places. As a tour guide Darwin met lots of obnoxious people, but he had gotten lucky this time: the 4 grown-ups, 3 children and 4 teenagers he guided through the national park around Baneswood forest were quiet, full of respect for nature and very interested in the local wildlife, so they kept their voices down and picked up their trash without Harry or Darwin having to remind them.
Darwin also was happy to have Harry with him. Although every two-day-hike had to be accompanied by more than one tour guide it had been sheer luck to get his boss to send Harry, and Darwin was thankful for his company. Harry was his best friend, they had tried dating once, but it had been too hard to play the dominant part in the relationship. Finally, Harry had found out Darwin's secret. Two submissives could have a lot of fun in bed, but the relationship part got awkward pretty quickly. They had decided to stay friends and had gotten inseparable over time.
The air was crisp and cool, but it would get even colder once the sun set fully. Harry was helping the tourists build a stable campfire in the frequently used pit, while Darwin managed the five tents they needed. A perfect, calm, pleasant evening. But wouldn't it be great to share this with Jared? The handsome, tanned, grinning face appeared before Darwin's daydreaming eyes and made him tense instantly. How he hated the haunting that man had put upon him!
Snarling he put up the last poles and tugged the canvas over the naked framing, his face contorted in concentration and disapproval over his state of mind. Damn that sexy wolf, damn him!
"Darwin, you're growling."
Harry's voice was hushed and strained with effort to not laugh. Darwin grunted and fastened the canvas, then rose from his crouch and stared at the finished tent grudgingly. "No, I'm not. See? I'm good. No, I'm perfectly fine," he huffed, and waved his hand dismissively at his friend. "Go cook dinner already. I'll be there in a minute."
He didn't need to look back at Harry. He could hear the smug grin in his voice when Harry murmured, "Alrighty, try to chill a bit. We'll be home tomorrow evening, you'll just have to get by with little ol' me until then."
Darwin whirled around, ready to smack Harry, but the bastard was already jogging back to the campfire, giggling madly. Darwin could even hear him tell their customers a story about a difficult relationship, and bit down another growl. He didn't miss Jared, goddamn it! He hated that guy! He really did, didn't he? It took him another fifteen minutes to calm down enough to join them.
By that time the pre-prepared bean stew was already simmering a bit and the conversations seemed to flow easily. Darwin sat by quietly, occasionally poking the coals with a stick while he listened to different stories and tales. It was the story of two of the adults--about the day they had first met--that made his mind drift off and back to Jared.
He remembered the feeling of his body rubbing against Jared's vividly. He could hear his moans echo through his brain, could feel the ghost of the spray of hot water against his breast, the tightening of his muscles the moment he had--
A hand clapped his thigh in a friendly manner. His jaws clicked closed in shock over the sudden touch that ripped him out of his daydream, and made him realize that he hadn't heard a damn word the woman next to him had said. When he saw Harry mouth a 'Thank you' out of the corner of his eyes, he was quick-witted enough to smile and say "Thank you," even though he had no idea what he was thanking her for.
The woman didn't seem to get the clueless expression in Darwin's face and just nodded smiling. Harry on the other hand seemed to fight a hard battle against a laughing fit trying to break free from his mouth.
Dinner was hearty and filling, but the hike always tended to take it out of the tourists. It was about nine pm when they all retired to their tents, leaving Harry and Darwin alone with dirty dishes and their hushed conversation about the best route for next day's hike.
Finally they were done, and both boys leaned back and groaned softly.
"So, what was I thanking for before?" Darwin asked, scratching his belly lazily.
Harry grinned. "She told you how much she hated her husband when she first met him, and that you shouldn't worry so much that your friend gets you riled up so easily. It means you have a big heart, ready to develop great amounts of feelings."
Darwin slapped his shoulder and sighed. "Good thing I didn't hear that earlier. I'd have said something impolite," he grumbled, but couldn't help himself and started to grin. "Big heart, huh?" he echoed. It did sound nice, at least on second thought.
Harry threw another log into the blaze and watched Darwin carefully. "So, enlighten me. What is it with you and Jared? You look like arch enemies stalking each other, but you smell like heavy porn every time you meet."
Darwin's face wrinkled instantly, and he just shook his head. "I don't know, to be honest. I hate him. I mean, I REALLY hate him. I want to scratch his eyes out of his gorgeous face every time he looks at me." Wincing at his own words he let his head fall forward, slumped down and tugged at his black hair. Harry was his best friend, and he was pretty perceptive. He probably had already known how infatuated Darwin was with Jared, but had wanted him to realize it for himself. Damn sneaky bastard. "Shit. I can't fall in love. Shit," Darwin muttered.
"Because of your Alpha?"
Harry knew a lot of stories about Darwin's life that no-one else had ever heard, not even his adoptive dad. But even Harry didn't know the whole extent of it all, only censured bits and pieces. He knew though that the Alpha of the Banes City pack abused Darwin on a regular basis. He had seen the bruises, the broken bones, the cuts and the dark rings below the eyes of his friend, the paleness in his face, and the way he dressed when he wanted to keep his pain a secret from Harry.
First, Harry had suspected his adoptive father to be the reason, but he had forgotten that idea as soon as he had met George personally. He was confined to a wheelchair after having suffered an apoplectic stroke and was barely able to talk or move his right hand. The love for his little adoptive boy had been written all over his elderly face when they had dinner, and Darwin had smiled and laughed in a way Harry had never seen on him before.
Later that evening Darwin had broken down and told Harry between sobs that his Alpha was crazy. That he was the source of Darwin's regular injuries. That Darwin would die if the high ranking werwolf ever found out that he was submissive. He had made Harry promise to never tell a soul of this, and Harry had been shaken enough to agree reluctantly.
Harry had kept his promise all through their first year at BCU. But now there was Jared, who seemed infatuated with Darwin. Harry had seen those kinds of googly eyes frequently when he still lived at home, because it was the way his parents watched each other. He couldn't understand how Darwin could NOT realize the besotten state Jared was in, but on the other hand, Harry didn't want to tell him because Darwin would only deny it more.
"You don't understand," Darwin muttered, still tugging his hair. "It's not the love that is the problem, it's Jared. He's not submissive like you, I can't play the dominant part if we end up in a relationship. And if I can't play the dominant part, someone will find out, and that means HE will find out."
Harry didn't back off. He just poked the embers around a bit with his stick, and mumbled, "Have you ever thought about the possibility that Jared might be an Alpha himself?" He saw Darwin flinch and straighten his back at that thought. "Wouldn't a relationship kind of solve all your problems at once if he were?" Harry suggested after a few seconds of silence.
Darwin didn't answer at first. Yeah, what if Jared was an Alpha?
There was a distinct difference between being a dominant werewolf and being an Alpha werewolf. Dominant werewolves were powerful, intent on climbing the ranks in their pack, and thoroughly obsessed with control over their environment. They tended to be compulsive checkers, loved to be able to boss their underlings around, and tested their boundaries on a daily basis. They also had strong protective instincts towards their pack and tended to get unbalanced if they weren't able to care for someone.
They needed submissives like they needed air to breathe, and they needed their pack to stay calm and content. A dominant without a pack went feral within weeks, most often changing to their animal form and forgetting all about their human side.
Alphas on the other hand were a whole different thing. They were born with the instinct to rule, highly independent, unable to bow their heads to another werewolf, and pretty secure in their behavior. Alphas could survive all alone and on their own, didn't need a pack or submissives to stay balanced, and they were so adaptive that they could live all alone between humans without ever becoming feral or dangerous to anyone.
That didn't mean an Alpha would be happy living without a pack and all alone, because every werewolf needed a pack to be able to relax fully. But the biggest problem every Alpha faced was their total inability to get along with others of their rank. They were pretty adept with controlling their rage and their need to rise to the top of their pack, but the mere existence of another Alpha in their home ground their nerves on a daily basis, finally leading to fights to the death.
Being an Alpha didn't automatically mean you got a big, strong body and high charisma though.
They came in all forms and shapes, from soft, small women to big, obese men, and most often the ability to become Alpha didn't even run in families. They were nature's roulette game, and if their pack's reigning Alpha didn't force them to leave at the age of 18, they also had a right to believe they were supposed to take over the pack.
It was entirely possible that Jared was an Alpha. It also was possible that he was just a dominant werewolf trying to make Darwin his interim pack.
Sighing, Darwin let go of his hair. "I don't like him. I should go and find out if he is an Alpha, but I honestly don't think he could help me. I'd just get him killed," he grumbled. It unnerved him how his heart made a happy leap at the thought of the possibility to get rescued after all the years of hopelessness.
Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, fine. I'll try to find out." When Darwin shot him a hard glance, he lifted his hands and grinned. "I won't tell him anything, I promise. Just let me work my magic, okay?"
Darwin didn't like it, but finally he had to give in.
